ANALYSIS OF MUD MASS TRANSPORT UNDER WAVES USING AN EMPIRICAL RHEOLOGICAL MODEL

Qin Jiang, Akira Watanabe

Abstract

This study is focused on deepening our insight into rheological properties of soft mud under oscillatory forces, on quantifying their effects on the interaction between water waves and mud bed, and especially on the resultant mud mass transport. On the basis of a large number of experiments, an empirical rheological model and formulas for model parameters are proposed. In addition, a simple analytical model for evaluating the temporal change in mud water content ratio under waves is derived. Using these two models, a vertical 2-D numerical model is developed to predict the wave-induced bed mud motion and the resultant mud mass transport velocity. Comparisons between the calculations and measurements are presented.